Minimising plastic use is one of the world’s top environmental priorities, and to support waste reduction at source, many consumers have begun to build the habit of reusing plastic containers of personal and household necessities and buying refills or even “shopping naked”. The Consumer Council compared prices between the original packaging and refills of 125 items of personal and household necessities in 3 supermarket chains and found that nearly 75% (92 items) of refills were cheaper than in their original packaging, with a maximum disparity of over 30%, indicating that consumers can definitely save money by buying refills. The Council further explored whether refills of 16 products were more environmentally friendly and found that packaging weight and transportation space of refills were lower than that in the original packaging, hence reducing product carbon footprint. As for the recent emergence of “shop naked” services, the study found that some packaging-free products were sold with inadequate information on ingredients and expiry date, and improvement is needed for consumers to choose with confidence. The Council is pleased to see a diverse variety of sustainable consumption options and hopes that manufacturers can speed up the development of the refill and “shop naked” markets, while shops can provide more product information and concessions to encourage consumers to buy environmentally friendly personal and household necessities to put sustainable consumption into practice.
In July this year, the Council collected price information of 125 items of personal and household necessities available in both their original and refill packaging from online and retail shops of 3 major supermarket chains in Hong Kong. Unit prices (per 100g, per 100ml, or per piece) of the same product in different packaging, including 57 items of personal care products, 29 items of laundry products, 37 items of household cleaners, and 2 items of oral hygiene products were compared. Among these, 16 were selected for further analysis on packaging materials and environmental impact. In addition, the Council also selected 12 “shop naked” stores selling packaging-free or refillable products and conducted mystery shopper visits for 4 types of personal and household necessities including hand or body wash, shampoo or conditioner, dishwashing detergent or household cleaning liquid, as well as laundry liquid or powder, to find out how they were sold and how prices were calculated, and how the product information was displayed.
Nearly 75% of Refills Cheaper than in Original Packaging
Variance of Over 30% in 3 Products
Consumers seeing personal and household necessities in “refill packaging” often question whether these products really save money and are environment friendly. The study found that out of the 125 products, 92 (74%) of refills had a lower unit price than in their original packaging, ranging from 0.1% to 36.4%. The product with the biggest disparity is a disinfecting toilet seat wipe, with a unit price of $1.87 per piece in its original packaging and $1.19 per piece in refills which is 36.4% cheaper; refills of 1 hand wash and 1 hair conditioner were over 30% cheaper than that in the original packaging per 100ml, significant amount of money can be saved if buying these refills in the long run. However, unit prices of refills of 32 items (26%) were higher than that of the original packaging, with a range of 0.1% to 22%, but it should be taken into account that 17 items in their original packaging were on sale at special discounted prices at the time of the survey, for instance in 2 supermarkets, 4 items of the same brand of laundry detergent were priced at $4.38 per 100g in their original packaging, while the unit price of refills was $5.34 per 100g, i.e. 22% more expensive. As price is a key factor affecting purchasing decision, the Council reminds manufacturers and retailers to set prices in support of the environmental benefits of refillable products.
Refills Have Lower Carbon Footprint but Some Packaging May be Non-recyclable
Apart from price considerations, many consumers choose to buy refills mainly to support environmental protection. The Council sampled 9 personal care products, 4 laundry products, and 3 household cleaning products in their original and refill packaging, and compared their relative environmental friendliness by examining packaging labels and information provided by manufacturers, as well as the type of packaging materials, package-to-product ratio (PPR), and extra packaging required for transportation, etc.
The type of packaging material affects its recyclability. In the study, various plastics were used for the bottle body and pump or cap in the original packaging. Among the bottle bodies, 4 were made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and 7 were made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), with 4 labelled as using recycled plastics. All refill sample packages were bagged in pouches, of which 11 contained PE plastics, 5 used aluminium foil pouches, and 4 were labelled as using recycled plastics. Refill package used less packaging materials than the originals in terms of the PPR, with refill package for 16 samples ranging from 2% to 4%, versus 8% to 17% in their original packaging. However, it is worth noting that some refill package used composite materials such as aluminium foil pouches, which require high temperatures to gasify or melt aluminium in the manufacturing process, resulting in a higher carbon footprint than ordinary plastics. In addition, there is no reliable and sustainable recycling facility of aluminium foil pouches in Hong Kong, and that local recycling centres do not accept aluminium foil pouches, consumers should be mindful when purchasing products made from such packaging material.
In addition to product packaging, secondary packaging is also required for transportation. If more products can be stowed in each transportation carton, the number of cartons used will be reduced accordingly, ultimately lowering carbon footprint. According to information provided by manufacturers, since carton sizes and product volume of the original and refill package were different, consumers could not make straightforward comparisons. The Council calculated the occupied volume of carton per millilitre of product (cm3/mL) according to carton sizes and the volume of each product package, and found that the carton volume needed for 6 refill package products was lower than that of the original product, but 4 refill package products were more than that in its original packaging, indicating that some manufacturers had not maximised the advantage of flexible packaging to boost refill packaging efficiency, showing room for improvement.
Improvement Needed —
Insufficient Information on Some “Shop Naked” Products
“Shopping naked” is becoming popular and some consumers in Hong Kong are bringing their own containers to buy products that are sold packaging-free or in refillable form. As more traders have started offering “shop naked” services, the Council examined information provided by local environment organisations and surveyed 12 shops selling 4 types of non-food personal and household necessities.
It was found that nearly 60% (7) of these shops allowed consumers to bring their own containers, with 2 offering discounts for doing so. If consumers have not brought containers, 5 shops provided cleaned ones (mainly glass bottles) donated by other customers but 2 of the shops charged HKD$1 to $5 per container. 4 shops sold containers (glass and aluminium) of different types and sizes, ranging from $15 to $80. In addition, 4 shops required consumers to use the original bottles of products or buy designated containers on the spot at $15.9 to $28.9 each.
Among the 7 shops that allowed consumers to bring their own containers, prices were mainly calculated by the net weight of products, among which 5 shops had no minimum purchase quantity and consumers could buy small quantities for trials to avoid wastage. Among shops that required designated containers, 4 of them sold products according to specified capacity, among which 3 of them sold products based on standardised capacity or weight, for example hand wash, shower products, or shampoo were standardised at 500g with prices from $29.9 to $78.
During mystery visits by Council staff, it was observed that shops generally provided information on product name, brand, or manufacturer of unpackaged or refillable products, but only some listed detailed ingredient lists and expiry date. Most shops required consumers to take the initiative to ask a shop assistant before they would provide product information, or only list detailed product information on their official website. Some shops indicated that not all packaging-free products had a specific expiry date, and that exposure to air after opening may affect the shelf life, thus they would frequently check on products and adjust the order quantity accordingly. Nevertheless, as it is a fundamental consumer right to obtain accurate and sufficient information before purchasing a product, the Council recommends traders to improve the display of detailed product information both in-store and online, so as to give consumers a clear understanding of product ingredients before purchase to avoid buying unsuitable products that may lead to wastage.
This study examined the overall environmental impact of daily consumables and found that only a few local brands provide refillable options to consumers. The Council hopes that more manufacturers can join in the provision of refillables and adopt more environmentally friendly packaging designs and transportation methods to reduce waste at source. Consumers should also consider choosing more eco-friendly products when buying personal and household necessities while referencing these tips:
- When buying personal and household necessities, choose single-material, tear-away refillable packaging, or from “naked” shops to minimise unnecessary packaging waste;
- Many personal and household necessities now come with innovative designs, such as super-concentrated cleansing liquids or refillable tablets that can be diluted with water, greatly reducing packaging materials used and carbon footprint during transportation;
- Consider reusable containers for bulk buy products;
- When reusing a container, consumers should clean it with detergents and water, then air dry it for a few days to ensure that there is no moisture left. Consumers could refer to the latest recycling information from the “Hong Kong Waste Reduction Website” from the Environmental Protection Department.
Download the article (Chinese only): https://ccchoice.org/574-naked-shopping
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